45
Ning Ye was immensely shocked.
She was wearing a coat with a fur collar today. The fluffy, soft light beige loops of fur framed her cheeks. Her almond eyes widened slightly, and like a startled little animal frozen in place, she stopped moving and carefully observed her surroundings.
Was the man in front of her proposing to her?
Or was he?
Ning Ye hesitantly looked around.
Who was the world's richest man?
Bian Xun, wearing polished leather shoes, walked slowly along the ancient stone-paved ground toward the church entrance.
His striking jawline was cast in perfectly precise chiaroscuro by the light of the large diamond in the velvet box in his hand.
Today, he wore a custom suit from a local century-old tailor shop. The tailored cut perfectly wrapped his tall and slender figure. The top-tier alpaca wool fabric added a touch of softness to his usually cold and stern style. His platinum cufflinks complemented the cool elegance of his brow bone. In just a few short steps, it looked as if he were walking the red carpet.
It was said that the century-old suit shop had made custom clothing for globally renowned figures, such as prominent heads of state in history, princes, viscounts, and current members of the royal family.
It perfectly suited Bian Xun's current status—
A rising world's richest man.
Yes, he had already paved a path of hundreds of billions for himself.
The success of over twenty billion was just the beginning. As long as he proved this method viable, he could infinitely cash out from thin air without breaking the law or anyone knowing, accumulating massive profits and boundless wealth.
As long as he took advantage of the natural fluctuations of the stock market and infinitely bought the dip, he would quickly become the wealthiest man on earth.
He could provide the ultimate life for the people he cared about, free from the constraints of family, status, and all external factors.
The little angels in the church's astronomical clock finished their musical performance and slowly retreated into the window with Cupid's arrows. Bian Xun finally came to a composed stop in front of Ning Ye.
His money was secure, but his person was not necessarily so.
Despite his steady pace, the gaze he cast down at her was tight. The soles of his shoes aligned perfectly with the center line of the stone bricks beneath his feet as he looked down.
Would she agree?
Such body language finally allowed Ning Ye to understand his meaning.
One, Bian Xun was proposing to her;
Two, Bian Xun claimed he was the world's richest man.
For a moment, Ning Ye didn't know which idea was crazier.
And... she hadn't figured out how she should respond.
So the two of them just stood there, gazing at each other for several seconds.
Bian Xun's dark eyes clearly reflected her figure. His sharp, coldly contoured eye shape was covered by thick eyelashes, and reflecting the diamond's light from his palm, it unexpectedly held a bit more tenderness.
Ning Ye's fingertips curled up, unexpectedly feeling a surge of panic. She decided to first consider the second, more objective issue of him being the richest man, so she forced herself to stay calm and pulled out her phone.
These past few days, she and Taotao had also been keeping an eye on the company's stock price.
Looking at it now, it had indeed rebounded today. The evaporated market value of Wujiang Group had been reversed and was even expected to continue breaking the upper limit.
Ning Ye breathed a sigh of relief in her heart and looked up at Bian Xun again, her eyes hesitant.
But the company's market value couldn't purely be counted as Bian Xun's personal property. How did he become the world's richest man?
So, could it be.
Suddenly poor and then suddenly rich—had he gone mad?
The CEO appeared unfathomable, but in reality, he didn't dare to move.
After delivering that deafening proposal declaration, his dark eyes stared at her unblinkingly.
Taking into account the hardship he had endured under continuous high pressure this week, Ning Ye did not express her doubts about the world's richest man claim.
Then, only the first question remained.
Bian Xun was proposing to her.
From realizing her ex-boyfriend's old feelings had rekindled to him directly pulling out a giant diamond, it felt like only the blink of an eye.
At this moment, Ning Ye didn't even dare to shift her eyes to look at the pigeon-egg-sized diamond in his hand.
Just a glance from the corner of her eye was enough to have her eyes burned by the fiery brilliance of the hand-cut facets.
That natural diamond was so massive it truly resembled some sort of egg. The diamond light refracted by countless cut surfaces was more dazzling than the sun hanging over distant mountain peaks at dusk. Although its shape, size, and carat weight were unknown, it looked...
Like it would give you tenosynovitis just by wearing it!
Ning Ye's eyes revealed a kind of bewildered despair.
For ordinary people like them, this diamond was simply borderline psychotic.
She really wanted to facepalm, but under the other party's burning gaze, she didn't dare to move.
Meanwhile, the astronomical clock on the church was slowly ticking away, unhurriedly gliding toward the new year.
Bian Xun still felt it was taking an eternity.
His feet, stepping on the brick seams, slightly shifted posture, and a slight itch arose in his throat.
The diamond's clarity was good; did she not like the design?
Fortunately, as long as it was a problem money could solve, he could solve it now.
So she—
Ning Ye felt the weight of that gaze. Her fingertips gripping the gift bag curled slightly. She cleared her throat and finally looked up at him.
Bian Xun, this ring of yours is too exaggerated.
The diamond's diameter was already as thick as her finger. Let alone the issue of practicality, if she wore it out, people would probably think she was wearing a toy, right?
Ning Ye had never been married and had no experience. She nervously pondered for a moment; a diamond ring this big probably cost at least a million.
The stock price just recovered and you're splurging like this, are you not going to live anymore?
Bian Xun lowered his eyes and took a glance.
18 carats, Harry Winston cushion-cut original, diamond paired with a platinum setting, vividly stunning, 56 million.
It was presentable enough.
The CEO arrogantly lifted his dark eyes again.
Ning Ye sighed, and with a very serious attitude, explained to him, Even though the bankruptcy crisis has temporarily passed, your money didn't just blow in with the wind. There might be all sorts of risks in life later on, and we can't always let the child be scared and worried...
The CEO's dark eyes didn't change in the slightest as he confidently said, Money is not an issue.
Beating around the bush?
Meaning to reject?
He wouldn't accept that.
Ning Ye choked up for a second, But your current financial situation...
Bian Xun gave a cold, proud smile: Invincible.
.
Ning Ye quieted down, her lips quietly pursing together.
Sure enough, her ex-boyfriend's humility, restraint, gentleness, and charity were all temporary.
Although whether in poverty or wealth, he would be a good father.
But Bian Xun would never allow himself to be poor :)
Ning Ye looked up at the sky, the fur collar beside her cheeks brushing against her skin with the wind.
Thinking about spending the future with this arrogant capitalist, she felt a chill running through the gift she had picked out for him in her hand. But Ning Ye's clear eyes reflected the arched clock of the church, tick-tock, tick-tock, and a sense of destiny of going round in circles rose from the bottom of her heart.
She spaced out for a moment, and Bian Xun changed his posture again.
The itch in his throat grew stronger, extending to his heart and lungs. He knew it was a narrow and tight emotion.
He coughed reservedly, indicating his need.
Ning Ye snapped back to reality, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
The man in front of her carried a demand that allowed no refusal, yet his pitch-black eyes were pieced together with a bit of obsessive-compulsive stubbornness, a bit of quiet waiting for an answer, and an almost imperceptible tension and vulnerability.
Her heart was also softened a little by the wind blowing from the church.
This expression, subtle down to the millimeter, was accurately captured and carefully pondered by Bian Xun.
Then Bian Xun nodded and drew his own conclusion—
Anyway, you didn't refuse.
Not refusing means agreeing.
Hesitation means she loves him.
Under the CEO's brow bone, his expression was serious; he had managed to coax himself perfectly fine.
Ning Ye blinked. A sly businessman indeed had the shamelessness of a sly businessman.
Thinking about the high praise she had given him in her head over the past few days, and all the ways her opinion of him had improved, a wave of embarrassment and annoyance crept up her porcelain-white face.
She really had overthought it!
Ning Ye grabbed a bunch of souvenir bags, turned around, and walked away.
Hmph.
Behind her, the man followed closely, starting to push his conclusion to the extreme. His voice carried a hint of warmth as he spoke to himself.
"So, you will hold onto the ring for now?"
Ning Ye hunched her shoulders and immediately sped up into a race-walk.
An item worth millions of dollars being kept with her? A common citizen like her would lose sleep over it.
Her retreating figure was hurried.
The sense of resistance was ultimately very obvious.
Bian Xun finally slowed his steps by two seconds. His gaze quietly followed her. As the cold light of the diamonds hit his dark eyes, it added a few glints of shattered, faceted light.
Suddenly, that fluffy figure from behind turned around.
Her cheeks were still taut, and her almond eyes did not look at him. She merely reached out, haphazardly stuffed something into his palm, and then continued churning her legs, quickly walking far away.
In his palm was a kind of cool, ceramic object.
Bian Xun paused for a moment before slowly lowering his eyes to look.
Standing on his palm was a white-bearded Santa Claus. He was wearing a Santa hat and pulling a stocking full of gifts out from a large sack on his back. There were thousands of handmade figurines here, each one unique. She must have had to rummage through many shops to find one in exactly this pose.
It looked exactly like the outfit he wore when he amused the kid that night.
This was her New Year's gift to him.
Bian Xun lowered his eyes and studied it carefully for a long time. The corners of his lips began to lift, inch by inch, like a pixelated image loading.
His cold, hard heart felt as if it had been sprinkled with a layer of powdered sugar, and a sweet taste began to spread. His previously slightly tense spine slowly relaxed, and his nerve endings began to jump.
What did this mean, hmm?
She didn't accept the diamond ring, but instead gave him a gift.
What did it mean.
The man stood tall and straight. He twitched his already slightly numb fingertips, his thoughts taking flight.
At the very end of this year.
The richest man in the world made an important judgment.
This meant she agreed.
This was love.
...
Regardless of whether Ning Ye had agreed or not, Bian Xun had already appointed himself her husband.
The smoothness of this transition was no different from him self-proclaiming to be the richest man in the world.
Although neither had been realized yet.
Both were only a matter of time.
Having both wealth and love go so smoothly left a sharp sliver of hidden worry in the CEO's heart.
However, this sliver of worry could not suppress his secret thrill.
After the proposal ended, Ning Ye fled back to the hotel to find Taotao, while the CEO, feeling refreshed and energized, went to handle his work.
Just as the duck is the first to know when the river water warms in spring, the assistant is the first to know when the CEO is secretly thrilled.
Assistant Zhang had already properly arranged the flight tickets for their return trip tomorrow. The CEO had been away from Beijing for a week, and there was a massive amount of work waiting for his approval at the company, but he seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.
"Don't rush," the CEO glanced at his assistant, sitting reservedly at the desk with a faint smile. "Once we get back, you will be able to see your wife too."
Question marks filled Assistant Zhang's head, though he didn't ask.
What did he mean by "too"?
However, after this past week, Assistant Zhang truly admired his boss's stress tolerance to the utmost. How on earth did Boss Bian manage to completely ignore the evaporated market value of the company and consistently maintain the noble aura of "I am the richest man"?
Assistant Zhang could only conclude that this was the mark of a naturally outstanding entrepreneur.
That day, the rollout of the large model was continuously monitored until the evening. All the top executives of Wujiang were working overtime at the company, completely following Boss Bian's commands. It wasn't until Bian Xun finished his online meeting that he remembered something and nonchalantly unlocked his phone.
Among all the opponents involved in the siege against Wujiang this time, the Xu and Gu families were purely acting out of revenge. Only the Xinyang Group was involved for profit.
Since he was in a good mood, he decided to humiliate the other party a bit.
Thus, Wujiang Group's fourth-quarter financial report was precisely copied and sent to Xinyang Group.
At this moment, Li Shunye was making the R and D department frantically study Wujiang's newly launched large model.
Just a cursory glance was enough to shock people. Experts knew the ropes; had Wujiang's proprietary chips already developed to this extent? With just this one foundation acting as a safety net, that man Bian Xun would never truly fall.
Looking again at the financial report, his dazzling market share since taking office a quarter ago all indicated that his net worth would skyrocket on the rich list next year.
The most frustrating part was that Bian Xun inexplicably always gave off the impression that he was far more capable than just this!
If his cousin hadn't wanted to take revenge on Bian Xun, Li Shunye wouldn't necessarily have had to add fuel to the fire. Thinking about it now, Xu Lanyi might not actually hate him; rather, it seemed like she just wanted to prove herself.
But he had spent a fortune to dig up inside information from Bian Xun's side about his assets being under attack, originally thinking he could hit him with a massive wave. Who could have known?
Li Shunye was already in a terrible mood when he picked up his phone and received an international text message.
It contained a string of code.
It looked like something sent from an overseas base station.
Li Shunye immediately had someone analyze the contents of this code string, and the results came out quickly.
GSM hijacking.
SMS sniffing.
Lateral movement, data theft.
Li Shunye's pupils shrank drastically, and he shot up from his seat.
It was Bian Xun! He must have transferred the hacking technology that stole his funds over to him!
That hacker could even steal Bian Xun's money, let alone his!
"Freeze it! Freeze all my bank cards, hurry!"
The voice-cracking roar echoed through the Xinyang building.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mainland.
Bian Xun put down his phone, casually tossing it aside.
Later, industry insiders would say that after Wujiang's brand-new large model went online, the boss of Xinyang spent his days in a state of panic, and the company internally experienced several days of unexplained turmoil, passing a very special start to the new year.
But right now, Bian Xun was merely curling his lips in a relaxed manner.
In an excellent mood, he looked down at the digital watch on his wrist.
He was currently a few kilometers away from Ning Ye, and his balance was still being deducted every second.
But right now, that string of numbers was so massive that it couldn't be shaken at all.
His balance had to be expressed using powers of 10.
A string of numbers above 2e10. Deducting tens of thousands at a time was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
It only scratched the surface.
The future richest man closed his eyes, letting the glory of wealth flow through his entire body.
...
After finishing his work, Bian Xun drove straight back.
The continuous deduction of his balance no longer bothered him much.
So at this moment, wanting to go back to see her and the child was simply a pure desire to see them.
The CEO raised his hand, pinched the bridge of his nose, and smiled.
He really couldn't stand himself.
The car navigated toward the hotel, and his cheerful mood came to a halt when he received a call from the Bian family's old residence.
The corners of Bian Xun's lips flattened, and he answered indifferently.
The new year was approaching. The Bian family had strict rules, and from the very beginning of the year, they had to prepare various activities in anticipation of the Spring Festival.
The person on the other end of the line was not Old Master Bian, but Bian Ziwen's mother. As soon as the call connected, she began to flatter him.
"Bian Xun? It's your Third Aunt. The group's stock price bounced back today, congratulations! Oh my, we weren't worried at all this past week. We all knew you would definitely be able to turn the tide!..."
Bian Xun let out an expressionless laugh. The old residence had probably been in an uproar for a week, wanting to redistribute the equity.
The Bian family's thirst for his money was insatiable.
Since they delivered themselves to his door, he naturally suppressed them casually.
Bian Xun leaned back, the curve of his lips laced with malice. "No need to worry, I will be the richest man in the world from now on."
Of course he had to do it, otherwise he would be violating his husbandly vows.
The person on the other end of the phone seemed to be shocked by his arrogance, almost burping, and muttered a couple of times, "Ah, ah?"
Bian Ziwen's voice sounded outside the phone in a frantic manner, "I told you he has a channel!! He has a highly profitable channel! But he won't tell us—"
The feeling of missing out on such profits had made Bian Ziwen so anxious he was practically depressed.
Couldn't he share a little? Bian Xun had so much money, why couldn't he share a little with him??
After Bian Xun had his fun, he didn't care about the well-being of others. "Hanging up."
—"Wait."
Old Master Bian's voice finally sounded, very close. He must have been listening for a while.
Old Master Bian had weathered many storms; naturally, he didn't believe that Bian Xun really had some kind of ten-thousand-fold interest rate channel like Ziwen claimed.
Otherwise, based on his understanding of Bian Xun, he wouldn't just be the richest man in the world.
He would make himself the richest man in the universe!
Old Master Bian could ignore everything else, but he absolutely had to formally acknowledge his great-granddaughter before the Spring Festival arrived!
He naturally saw the turmoil and turnaround of Wujiang over the past week. Bian Xun had already proven that he indeed did not need to marry into other prominent families to consolidate his power.
So Old Master Bian pinched his nose and accepted it, saying authoritatively over the phone, "Since you already have a child, find a time to settle things with that girl Ning Ye."
After all, if Bian Xun looked for someone else, he would be a second-marriage man with a child.
If they got married sooner, he could become the rightful great-grandfather; otherwise, he could only cling to the kindergarten fence to see the child.
Old Master Bian felt he had already made the biggest concession.
Bian Xun chuckled and said leisurely, "That's not up to me to decide."
Old Master Bian's heart started to ache again, and he asked tremblingly in disbelief, "You chased her all the way abroad, and you still haven't won her over??"
Bian Xun himself already considered himself her husband.
But just because he felt good in his heart didn't mean he had the obligation to make others feel good too.
He expressed with an attitude of unrequited love, "I will keep waiting for her."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, followed by the crackling sounds of disappointment, things being thrown, and scolding, which was finally calmly hung up by Bian Xun.
Old Master Bian ranted on the other end for a long time, demanding that he must marry her as soon as possible, only to realize after a long while that the call had been disconnected.
Unworthy descendant, unworthy descendant!
He rolled his eyes and leaned on the butler. "Did you get the tickets for Taotao's kindergarten art performance..."
Right now, only his precious great-granddaughter could heal him.
The butler comforted him, "I'm working on it."
Who told you to offend the girl so badly? Now the family of three doesn't want to see you. Are you satisfied?
On the other side of the Bian family's old residence.
The commotion from the old master's side also reached Bian Yang and Yue Shiqing.
Bian Yang heard about his brother's deeds and laughed in admiration. In this world, only his brother could make their grandfather that angry while leaving him completely helpless.
Yue Shiqing had had a very bad week.
—Who could have thought that Xu Lanyi would be able to make a comeback?!
Although there was the controversy with the police car, the highly prestigious Best Actress crown from the international film festival had solidly landed on her head. Did the whole world revolve around Xu Lanyi??
Bian Yang didn't understand the entertainment industry, so Yue Shiqing had to complain to her manager and assistant.
"Tell me, why is she so lucky? Now she's gathered a huge wave of career fans. Everyone has glossed over the fact that she secretly had a child, and they're guessing what kind of big shot is backing her."
"Who do you think the father of her child is??"
Her manager and assistant, a veteran in the industry, heard her complaints and smiled helplessly. "How would we know that?"
Yue Shiqing was very annoyed, and at this moment, she really envied Ning Ye.
If she also had a baby like Taotao, she would definitely lose all her worries just by looking at her!
...
Little Ning Zhitao knew nothing about the adult world.
She only knew that tomorrow was January 1st, and tomorrow they were going home! Having been away from kindergarten for a week, she also missed her bestie a bit!
Uncle Zhang said that Zhang Sijie practiced the chorus at home every day, and they would sing hand in hand when the time came.
That was the children's chorus competition their kindergarten was participating in, held at the Art Center in Beijing. It would start a few days after New Year's Day, and she heard the tickets were quite highly sought after.
Taotao suddenly became very anxious; she had to be just as good as her bestie!
Before the business trip, Ning Ye had already practiced with Taotao at home and even brought the sheet music along.
Besides practicing with the child, she also paid a bit more attention to it.
Because the plot had currently progressed to the female lead making a comeback and returning gloriously in her identity as a mother, which meant she no longer needed to hide from the public and could appear directly with Gu Zixun.
This chorus competition was very likely a key event.
Ning Ye didn't dare to be careless, and the little girl had a massive outburst of desire to practice.
So when the CEO drove back to the hotel and opened the room door, what greeted him was an angelic yet ear-piercing children's singing voice.
"Mother's Kelsang flower~ Mother's Kelsang flower, in your eyes, I will never grow up~!!"
Ning Ye was holding a camera, recording the child with a smile on her lips.
Although Taotao's talent in singing seemed average, parents always found it cute no matter what.
The ambiguous feeling from the proposal had dissipated; with the child present, the scene became warm and cozy.
Taotao was stretching her neck, belting out her praise.
Bian Xun walked over to the sofa without a trace and stood behind Ning Ye.
As a husband, he no longer had the restriction of social distance.
Bian Xun was only a few centimeters away from her slender back, his breath brushing past the back of her ear, and he clearly saw the side of her porcelain-white neck turn red.
After the proposal, there was also a change in her heart.
This awareness was like a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water.
The surface of the lake was no longer calm.
Ning Ye forced herself to focus on listening to the child's singing, ready to give positive feedback at any time.
"Mommy, does it sound good?"
"Yes, it sounds great!"
When the little girl finally got tired and took a halftime break, Ning Ye turned back to look at Bian Xun, "Could you come here for a moment?"
Bian Xun raised his eyebrows, dropped his crossed arms, and followed her with a slight hook of his lips.
The two returned to the inner room.
Ning Ye hesitated, "I have something..."
Bian Xun: "Okay."
Ning Ye was stunned. What did he mean "okay"? She hadn't even said it yet.
Bian Xun saw the question in her eyes. His dark eyes drew closer, "This is what someone in my position should do."
As for what position, that was all given by himself.
Ning Ye's fingertips, hanging inside her cuffs, curled up.
This ex-boyfriend was really arrogant, wasn't he?
But Ning Ye did indeed have a favor to ask of him.
After the large model went online today, she immediately downloaded the app and kept refreshing the surveillance footage near the hospital her mother went to. However, despite refreshing many times, Ning Ye didn't see any photos. She then realized that since the photos in that album were put in by the future Bian Xun, they probably could only be seen with his permission level.
Currently, the large model had just gone online, and some developmental features were not yet open to all users.
But Bian Xun's permission level allowed for all operations.
After Bian Xun finished listening, he directly gave her his account name and password.
Ning Ye: "You can just log in, I don't need to memorize the password..."
Bian Xun: "This is something someone in your position should know."
Ning Ye was speechless.
He really was so arrogant, wasn't he?
Bian Xun's dark eyes sparkled, his gaze holding all sorts of meanings.
There still couldn't be too much distance between them, and after returning to Beijing this time, their relationship would be different.
After what they did last time, he didn't yet have the right to invite them to move into his home.
But now...
Bian Xun forced himself to close his eyes.
His life lately had been a bit too wonderful.
So wonderful that it scared him.
Ning Ye didn't know what he was so thrilled about, but for some reason, her face flushed bright red. Holding the large model device, she hid to the side.
Logging in with Bian Xun's account, the interface was indeed different; all functions were fully unlocked.
However, perhaps due to the altered timeline, Ning Ye still hadn't seen that photo of her mother.
It wasn't until approaching midnight that Ning Ye suddenly realized the time difference.
During the time she had just spent abroad, it had been the middle of the night in Beijing.
It was normal for it not to appear.
When the New Year arrived, the family of three still gathered to clink glasses and welcome the brand-new year.
Ning Zhitao was already looking forward to returning to China immensely.
So was Bian Xun.
But Ning Ye had something weighing on her mind. She woke up several times during the night to refresh the large model.
Finally, at past four o'clock, she saw the surveillance photo of her mother!
This time, it was even clearer than the one in the future album. Ning Ye hurriedly opened it and clearly saw her condition, even the hospital department she was in.
Suddenly, Ning Ye's gaze froze.
Before this, Ning Ye never knew why she had reappeared after secretly leaving for six years.
At this moment, she had the answer.
At the far end of this surveillance photo, she spotted a figure she hadn't noticed before, slightly hunched over, looking around. Even without seeing the face clearly, Ning Ye could still recognize him.
It was the father she absolutely refused to mention.
Ning Cuizhen's own life was a mess, and she wasn't exactly responsible toward her daughter, but the one thing she strictly adhered to was never letting Wang Xuebing ruin her daughter's life.
So, she had returned to Beijing because she discovered traces of Wang Xuebing... Adopting a since I'm already here attitude, she finally decided to get the medical checkup she had put off for years.
Ning Ye suddenly gripped her phone tightly, her heart aching slightly.
The room was completely silent in the early hours of the morning. Listening to the shallow breathing of Taotao and Bian Xun, Ning Ye finally felt a bit grounded.
She zoomed in on the image, carefully observing every detail, and managed to make out the department and attending doctor on the wall.
Then she quietly got out of bed and went to the balcony. Checking the time back home, it was exactly the start of the New Year's Day holiday. After thinking for a moment, she asked Jiang Xinghe, who was in Beijing, for a favor.
Soon, Jiang Xinghe called back, providing only the crucial information: I called a former classmate at the Third Hospital. I found out this patient has an underlying condition and had a gastrointestinal endoscopy. The attending doctor recommended staying in the hospital for a day of observation, so she should be discharged tonight.
Ning Ye checked the time, her heart tightening.
Her mother definitely wouldn't stay in the hospital any longer than necessary, afraid of paying for an extra day.
If she left the hospital, Ning Ye would have no idea where to find her.
Time waited for no one.
Ning Ye calmly looked at her watch. There was an earliest flight back to Beijing, and it had one last ticket available.
The flight would land in ten hours, just in time to get there before the discharge.
She spent a few seconds considering, then decisively began to dress silently and pack her carry-on items.
In the family group chat, Ning Ye explained that she had to rush back to see her mother. She also informed them which flight she was taking to return to Beijing first, clearly stating the estimated departure and arrival times so they wouldn't worry.
Before leaving, she even folded the clothes Taotao would need to change into when she woke up and placed them at the head of her little toddler bed.
The child was sleeping soundly, her soft cheeks innocent and pure.
The father and daughter slept beside her, their sleep quality identical. Without realizing it, they had become the source of strength in the depths of her heart.
As Ning Ye prepared to grab her phone and head out, she accidentally touched the personal profile page of the large model. Since she was logged into Bian Xun's account, she realized his name had been changed.
It was changed to World's Richest Man.
Ning Ye was almost amused out of her tense mood by him.
Looking closer, she saw he had actually written World's Number One Husband.
He was the world's richest man.
And also a husband.
How could there be such an arrogant person?
Ning Ye blinked, genuinely caught off guard by his showiness in the dim room. Then, her heart inexplicably softened for a moment.
And so, as she left in the early hours of the morning, Ning Ye quietly thought.
Perhaps this time returning to Beijing, their relationship truly would be different.
Meanwhile, Bian Xun lay on the bed, his high brow bone prominent, his dark eyes closed within deep sockets.
He seemed to be having a sweet dream.
...
Two hours later, the World's Number One Husband woke up.
One minute later, Assistant Zhang received a call from the CEO.
Which flight is the closest to xx730 right now? the CEO asked calmly.
The earliest one is our flight, Mr. Bian. It takes off in three hours.
The CEO was silent on the other end of the phone for two seconds.
Ning Zhitao also woke up at this time. After listening to her mother's voice message, she came running over, pitter-patter.
Daddy, did Mommy go see Mommy's mommy?
Yes, Bian Xun picked her up.
Ning Ye avoided mentioning her family, but Bian Xun knew a thing or two. He knew that if she could really find her mother again, it would be something Ning Ye would want to process on her own.
And the CEO also had things he needed to process.
The dream had been too wonderful.
He had slept as soundly as a log.
Now look what happened.
The problem solved on the inbound trip was now presenting its B-side.
At this moment, Ning Ye was pulling away from him at a speed of a thousand kilometers per second.
The CEO was losing his balance at a rate of 5,000 yuan per second, factoring in the exchange rate.
There it was, the familiar feeling of bad luck.
This feeling of losing 18 million an hour was the tier he was meant to play in.
Assistant Zhang thoughtfully offered: There's also a flight connecting through Country H, passing through Country X and Country L. The route is slightly shorter.
The CEO calmly waved his hand.
He had no obligation to pay taxes for the air in those countries.
But he still couldn't sit still, couldn't find peace. Losing 5,000 yuan a second eventually made the yet-to-be-formed richest man in the world look flustered.
He couldn't stop. He simply picked up the child and turned to head toward the airport.
Taotao wasn't fully awake yet. She continued to doze off against her father's neck, contentedly acting like a little sleepy dumpling.
Assistant Zhang followed: CEO, what are you doing??
Bian Xun's jaw tightened slightly as he looked toward the east.
Running away with the baby.
Here it comes, 5 minutes early. I'll keep trying to be even earlier tomorrow.
